{"id":751,"date":"2019-06-11T10:07:09","date_gmt":"2019-06-11T10:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/?p=751"},"modified":"2020-07-22T12:56:51","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T12:56:51","slug":"will-a-new-front-door-add-value","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/will-a-new-front-door-add-value\/","title":{"rendered":"Will a New Front Door Add Value?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last updated on July 22nd, 2020 at 12:56 pm<\/p>

When considering a potential improvement to the home, it\u2019s always worth asking whether your investment will yield an uptick in your home\u2019s value. Moreover, we should look for the investments which yield the greatest improvement.<\/p>\n

The benefits of a new front door are myriad \u2013 but among the most tantalising is the financial return. A replacement is one of the most popular means of adding value to your home in 2019. They\u2019re therefore a great option for those looking to sell, as well as those looking to invest for the future.<\/p>\n

But with so many varieties of front door to choose from, it\u2019s not always clear which make the best match for the home. Let\u2019s look at some of the factors to consider.<\/p>\n

First Impressions<\/h2>\n

\"front<\/p>\n

Photo by\u00a0Bruno Martins<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n

The first thing your guests (and would-be buyers) will encounter when they come for a visit is the front door. If it\u2019s substantially-built and great to look at, you\u2019ll make a good first impression; if it\u2019s falling off the hinges and covered in scuffs, you\u2019ll make a bad one.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a well-understood fact of human psychology that we make quick judgements, and distort our impressions of what follows in order to form a coherent view of the world. If you decide early on that you don\u2019t much like a particular politician, sport or flavour of ice cream, then the chances are you\u2019ll stick with the view.<\/p>\n

The same applies to your front door. A good one will persuade your visitors to overlook all manner of sins inside the house. A bad one will have them looking for other faults. If you\u2019re selling, you want your buyers to think it was \u2018meant to be\u2019 \u2013 and a great front door will help you to do that.<\/p>\n

Wooden doors tend to be the most impressive in the looks department. With that said, you\u2019ll find composite doors which offer a convincing imitation of solid timber while needing next to no maintenance. We\u2019ll get to that.<\/p>\n

Security<\/h2>\n

One crucial function of a front door is keeping intruders at bay. If a would-be burglar can easily put their foot through, then the door probably isn\u2019t fit for purpose. A modern front door is an incredibly robust thing. It\u2019s heavy, sealed at all sides, and provides locking in several locations.<\/p>\n

In this respect, composite timber doors tend to win out over their uPVC and solid timber counterparts. They\u2019re built from a combination of different materials, but the interior tends to incorporate a substantial metal frame.<\/p>\n

For your front door to be secure, it\u2019ll need to sit snugly within the frame. If allowed to fall away, then gaps will form around the edges, which can be easily exploited by thieves. As such, a brand new door of any sort will make a significant improvement over an older one.<\/p>\n

Burglars and other intruders are usually opportunists. They look for the low-hanging fruit. If your door is the only one on an estate that\u2019s of an older construction, then it\u2019ll almost always be the one that gets targeted.<\/p>\n

\"wooden<\/p>\n

Photo by\u00a0Ehimetalor Unuabona<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n

Energy Efficiency<\/h2>\n

Doors, like windows, are points of weakness when it comes to heat-retention. The gaps around your front door will allow cold draughts to pass into your home during winter, and allow warm air to escape. The larger these gaps are, the worse the problem will be.<\/p>\n

We can limit this damage with the help of draught-excluders. These devices affix to the frame of the door and seal the cracks. They might equally sit along the foot of the door, blocking the bottommost crack. But draught excluders are not ideal solutions, as they compromise the look of the door.<\/p>\n

Another problem comes from the ability of heat to travel through the door itself. Solid-metal doors are the worst offenders here, as metal is the best conductor of heat. uPVC and timber doors tend to fare better. The most effective insulators are those which incorporate many different materials into the same core. Where glass panels are employed, they should be double (or even triple) glazed.<\/p>\n

Cost versus Benefit<\/h2>\n

When we\u2019re thinking about any investment, we should consider whether the benefit will justify the cost. It\u2019s possible to spend an enormous amount on an external door. But in many cases, a more affordable one might be perfectly adequate for the needs of the home.<\/p>\n

For example, if you\u2019re the owner of a period property with a consistent look, it will almost always be worth investing in a specially-crafted door. But most homes don\u2019t need such bespoke doors, and a good, modern front door doesn\u2019t need to break the bank. We should also consider how recently you\u2019ve invested in a replacement. The most sensible purchases here are those where the existing door is on its last legs \u2013 although waiting that long usually means living with an insecure, energy-inefficient doorway.<\/p>\n

Maintenance<\/h2>\n

Some doors need more frequent maintenance than others. In this respect, uPVC or aluminium doors are clear frontrunners, as they can be simply wiped with a damp cloth every few weeks. Timber doors are trickier, as they will need to be occasionally treated. This means sanding, washing, drying and re-finishing the timber. This is largely unavoidable if you want the luxurious feel that a real wooden door brings. Be sure, therefore, to factor in the extra hassle of maintenance when you\u2019re contemplating an investment of this sort.<\/p>\n

\"old<\/p>\n

Lifespan<\/h2>\n

Some doors will last for considerably longer than others, and this should factor into your initial budget. Obviously, if your door is going to last twenty years rather than ten, it\u2019s worth paying more for it.<\/p>\n

Your short-term finances might be a limiting factor. If you can afford to do so, it makes sense to invest in the long-term future of your property. Cheaper uPVC doors tend to discolour over time, while cheaper timber ones tend to fall away from their frame \u2013 and they\u2019ll do so quickly if not treated to the aforementioned maintenance. Of the options, a high-quality composite door tends to last the longest.<\/p>\n

In Conclusion<\/h2>\n

The short answer to our question is that yes, a new front door will add value to your home. What\u2019s less clear is whether this improvement will justify your original outlay \u2013 and that depends largely on what\u2019s being replaced. If you have an ailing front door and you\u2019re looking to improve the home, then a replacement is a great way to proceed!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last updated on July 22nd, 2020 at 12:56 pmWhen considering a potential improvement to the home, it\u2019s always worth asking whether your investment will yield an uptick in your home\u2019s value. Moreover, we should look for the investments which yield the greatest improvement. The benefits of a new front door are myriad \u2013 but among […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trivia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=751"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":756,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751\/revisions\/756"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}